The Dead Among Us
by Hellion5Angel4
Summary: Ashley hated Kasey. She wished she had never said I do. Abusive, drunk, drug addicted, and good for nothing. But when the world goes to crap, she'll have to rely on a group to help her make it out of the world alive. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I know I've half written a lot of stories. Henry Sturgis, William James, Castiel, I'm not really good at keeping up with stuff I write and being able to continue it. Sometimes, inspiration will strike again, and I'll post a chapter or two. And I'm going to bet that's what is going to happen to Daryl. But it's okay. Cause I like writing. :)**

**So...this is a Daryl/OC fic. I've loved Daryl for a long long long long time, and I'm fairly surprised I haven't written one for him by now. Anyways, that's what this is going to be. A lot of Daryl fics, usually, when he is speaking have it "You gon' regret it, now, maybe later. I don unnerstan'**

**That's not how I'm gonna do it. Cause that drives me nuts when I'm reading and I'm a grammar Nazi, and yeah. It's just not how I'm gonna do it. I assume if you're reading this, then you like Daryl, you know how he talks and what his voice sounds like and you can kinda figure out how he'd say it, or how it'd sound in your head.**

**ANYWAYS...on to the usual stuff.**

**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD, DARYL DIXON, MERLE DIXON, ANYONE OR ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHOW OR THE COMICS. THE ONLY THING I OWN IS THE ORIGINAL CHARACTER I CREATED TO BE IN THIS STORY.**

**Now that that's out of the way...I present...le story.**

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A usual warm spring evening in Atlanta. On the outskirts, but still sweltering in the Southern heat. Walker's Bar was open for business as usual, and Kasey was just halfway through his sixth beer. She never came with him when he came to the bar. Only waited at home for the drunken wrath of fists and cussing, leaving her bruised and aching. But tonight was different. She heard a crackle on the old tv, and looked up as a news reporter appeared on the screen.

_"This just in, ladies and gentlemen. The deadly virus that had everyone confused is now spreading rampant through the, not only the United States, but world wide. The UK, France, India, Brazil, and China have all reported cases of the virus erupting catastrophically. The CDC in Atlanta Georgia is urging everyone to stay calm, remain in your homes and don't go out unless it's absolutely urgent, and if you have been bitten, you are to report to the hospital immediately."_

Utter chaos and panic ruled the streets as they made their way home and gathered their things, before they hauled ass up the old dirt road and towards the cabin his parents had left him. They finally arrived and Kasey unloaded his cooler full of ice and beer, and his green captain's chair. As he unfolded it on the porch, he barked orders where everything went, watching as she lugged the packs, food, guns, and ammo into the small, cramped cabin. She began cooking dinner, corn, pot roast with potatoes and carrots, and cornbread. Just as she finished, she made a plate and brought it to her husband, still on the porch. "When do you think they'll get here?" He took a few bites, shoveling the food in, and washed it down. "No idea. But they'll get here soon, i suspect. They don't loligag around when the shit hits the fan." On that note, she headed back inside. After the small amount she ate was gone, her plate cleaned and drying in the rack, she heard a motorcycle roar and the crunching of gravel on the road.

Looking out the window, she saw Merle getting off his bike, and Daryl getting out of his blue pickup, motorcycle harnessed into the bed. As the three men hugged, she clicked on the radio, listening to the Atlanta broadcast coming in. The man's voice was urgent and panicked. "The streets of Atlanta are literally on fire. Napalm is being dropped by the Air Force, attempting to quarentine this plague. The streets are overrun with chaos and mass hysteria. People are literally running for their lives, trying to out run this fire, trying to escape with their lives. And I..Oh my Go-" The broadcast cut out into a single tone, constantly running. Nothing else came. She heard the thud of the boots walking in the house and she tensed up. It didn't take much to piss off her drunk husband, and as miserable as he was, he wanted to portray the perfect marriage. Complete with the little woman who had everything ready when the guests arrived.

She stood up and walked towards the stove, picking up a plate and putting a few scoopfulls of corn onto it. "Hey, fellas. Glad you guys made it." She felt his hand hit the plate and saw it smash on the floor, sending kernels scattering. She closed her eyes and prepared for more pain, but was spared. A single hand on the back of her neck and being pushed down, she heard him say. "Clean it up, idiot." She picked up the biggest chunk of the plate and carefully put the shards into it. But it was pointless as she felt his steel toe boot hit her in the side. A hard kick, sending the plate remainds clattering back onto the floor. As he marched to the radio and turned it off, she managed to sneak a peek at the brothers, looking at the scene unfolding before them. Merle wore a small smirk, his arms crossed across his chest, and looking at Kasey. Daryl was looking up the stairs and into space. The three walked outside and flipped the cooler open. After the plate and corn was swept up, and the area mopped clean, she walked onto the porch. The howling of the three ceased immediately and all eyes were on her. "I'm..it's getting late. I was going to go ahead and turn in." He waved her off, a clear signal he was done for the night. "Whatever. You get the couch." She walked inside and gathered an extra blanket and pillow and carried them back to the couch. She looked at the clock, 2:46 AM. Pretending to be asleep, Merle and Kasey marched past her, clonked up the stairs and a few minutes later were quiet. She crawled out of the blankets and quietly went outside. She got into their truck and opened the glove box, digging up the pack of cigarettes and lighter she stashed there. As hushed as she could, she closed the door and marched down the hill and to the small lake. She pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit it up. Laying back on the warm grass in the humid night, she winced, forgetting she had been kicked.

"Why do you let him do that to you?" She whipped her head towards the direction the voice was coming from. Daryl emerged from the shadows and sat down beside her. She took a drag from her cigarette and shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I have much choice. And if I didn't before, now that the world has gone to shit, where everyone's at odds...I sure as hell can't just leave him now." The crickets chirped quietly as she stubbed out the last of the cigarette into the grass. "My old man used to hit me around. Merle was old enough, he could leave whenever he wanted. Didn't have to put up with near half the shit I did. I kinda get where you're coming from." She sighed and stood up, heading back into the house, to sleep on the couch.

The next few days went about the same. Get up, cook breakfast, see the guys off to go hunting, clean whatever they brought back, cook it for lunch, have dinner ready as they rested and chugged on beer. She did know she was getting fed up with it, but wasn't sure how to handle it. Merle and Kasey had taken the bikes towards town to see if they could find more beer and some abandoned pharmacy to raid. The night before was a doozy. Rip roaring drunk, she had asked if she could go to the lake to swim, and it was on. He pushed her against the wall of the cabin, slapped her. "You want to go frolic with the damn fishes? When the dead are coming back and eating people?" He hit her. Clenched fist, knocking her down to the floorboards, and leaving a small bleeding cut. She should have known better than to ask. It had been just her and Daryl for most of the day, and he was nice enough to help her with the chore list Kasey had left. Laundry, clean the trucks, clean the cabin. She was finishing putting clean sheets on Kasey's bed when she found the gun bag stashed under the bed. She pulled it out and retrieved one of the pistols. It was loaded, that much was always a safe assumption with him. She sat down on the bed, holding the gun in her hands, thinking, wondering; was this her solution? "Ash.." She felt panic in her chest as she looked up, but felt slightly better when she saw it was only Daryl. "What are you doin?" She wiped the few tears from her eyes and stashed the gun back in the bag, sliding it all back under the bed. "Nothing." She stood up and turned around, bumping into him. "I'm sorry." He gently took her chin and lifted her head, looking closer at her eye. "I know that look. The look you were giving that gun. I've looked at a gun that way myself. But it's not the answer." She pushed him away. "Why not? An abusive drunk for a husband. Playing Cinderella while you three live in the lap of luxury. I cook for you, I clean for you, I do fucking everything. And on top of that, not only could _he_ kill me at any moment, but now I have to worry about the walking dead people. I don't see any other fucking way out of it, Daryl. If I don't turn up one day, don't be surprised." She turned to walk away, but felt his hand grab her arm. As the fear grew inside her, she realized he wasn't hurting her. It had ended up being a hug. A clutching, squeezing hug. He let her go and stepped back. "Maybe all of that is true. Do what you fucking want." He turned and left Kasey's room, leaving her alone.

When the boys got back on the bikes, there was an RV following them. Kasey hopped off his and called all of them to a meeting. "These guys are the real deal. A cop, an RV, they said there's a rock quarry not too far from here. Huge fucking lake full of fish, not so close to the city as this damn place is. I'm voting yes. Merle voted yes. Ash? What do you think?" She felt like laughing in his face. Like she had any opinion or say in the matter. "Sounds good to me. Yeah." It was all hands on deck from that minute on. The two trucks were loaded with all the supplies from the cabin, and Ashley got stuck with Daryl in his pickup. She laid her head back and let her hands rest on either side of her as the warm breeze flowed through the cab. "Look, I'm sorry I got so pissed off. There just has to be a better way. As far as I'll go about feelings, I care. That's about as much as I'll ever give." She didn't move. Stayed completely still. A touch made her jump, but it was still there. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Daryl's hand right next to hers, two fingers gliding back and forth in small movements. Most girls would have been excited if a guy had shown this much attention to her. But all she could do was hope and pray he would stop. If Kasey saw any of it, she would be dead.

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**There's chapter one. God bless America it took forever, the first time I had it typed out and it disappeared...so I had to start over. Sheesh. Anyways, I know Daryl's kind of all over the place, and yeah. It's my story, so :-P**

**Read and reply if you liked. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, Chapter 1 was horrible for me because I had it all typed out and then decided to go postal when I hit save, and erased almost everything. So...continuing onwards, I hope you're enjoying it so far, or maybe you're watching the marathon :D I have been.**

**Just a quick little rant: I am going to write some of the places they've been in the show. But I find it mind-numbingly boring when someone has taken the script and written in their own character. Kudos for paying that much attention to every word in the show, but if you're a big fan like I am, it's just horrible to re-read the show. So I think I might go my own direction in this fic, hopefully most of the characters will come with. I'm not sure yet. **

**I will say that everything might not "add up" if you're going according to the show, but like I said, I'll very rarely use the show. **

**Again, I own nothing and no one from the show and the comics, I only own Kasey and Ashley. Lol cause that was my ex husband and Ashley is me. So...**

**chapter 2**

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She woke to the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees. It was a little short while back that the four of them had joined up with the group. She sat up and climbed out of the tent she shared with Kasey and walked over towards Carol. The one and only woman in the camp who knew exactly what she was going through. But Ashley felt worse for her, with a child in the mix. No kid should ever have to see or hear that. The constant presence of a deputy kept Kasey in line, most of the time. There was laundry to be done, perimeters to be checked, children to be watched after. It was a constant effort for everyone in the group to pitch in and do their part. Daryl hadn't tried to stay close to her since they were coming to the camp. It made her a little sad, but she had actual friends here. And Kasey could do nothing to stop it.

She had just finished her chores when Shane called everyone in for a meeting. "Now, we need supplies. Food, weapons, and other things as well. We need some people to make a run with Glenn. He knows the city, the ins and outs, the how to's. I'm fairly confident he'll get you there and back. Any volunteers?" She looked around at the group. Finally, Andrea, the sister of Amy, raised her hand. "I'll go." T-Dog raised his hand, then Morales, and Merle joined in as well. Daryl leaned over to Ashley's ear; "I bet money he's just going to find some pills or some shit." She chuckled, catching Kasey's attention, and immediately returned her attention to Shane. "Alright, then. They leave shortly." Kasey marched over to her and grabbed her arm, escorting her away from camp. Past the tents, past the clothes lines, and back to the most unpopulated part of the camp was. He pushed her away and folded his arms across his chest. "You really are something, you know that? Trying to get with any and every man in the damn camp. Shane, that dumb black, Glenn, Daryl." She felt her chest tighten at the mention of Daryl's name. "Honey, I-" a loud crack echoed through the trees, a harsh slap leaving its searing pain.

Leaves crunched somewhere close. Kasey grabbed both her shoulders and leaned his mouth next to her ear. "I should just let you be food for a geek. I would guess that's all you're good for anymore." The leaves crunching grew louder and closer. She felt chills run down her spine, and fear made her heart thump in her chest. "I could cry, sob, about how I lost my beautiful wife. And on the inside, I would know, that I would be happy. Because I would finally be rid of you." The leaves crunched right behind her back as he shoved her, and a pair of arms grabbed her, a hand flying over her mouth as she tried to scream. Then freedom came. She was released. "Oh, little wifey scared of the boogeyman." Kasey was doubled over in laughter as Merle walked over to join him. "Thanks, Merle. We really got her." Both men laughing, turned away and headed back for the tents. She dropped to her hands and knees on the ground, sobbing. Terrorizing tactics, that's all it was. Another pair of hands gently laid upon her. She looked up to see Daryl, kneeling next to her. "You alright?" She stood up, shakily. "He's fucking sick. Got Merle to scare the shit out of me. I'm just so tired of being his play thing. Mental warfare, physical punching bag. I'm so done, but I can't leave. I have nowhere to run."

"It'll be alright. Eventually, he'll get what's coming to him. Just be patient and wait for the day you get to laugh after seeing a walker chewed his lips and dick off." She smiled as they walked towards the tents. "That'll be a good day for sure. But it'll be forever waiting for it to come around." By the time she had gotten back to the main group, Kasey was busy chopping the firewood, everyone was resuming their chores now that the group had left. No clouds in the sky, nothing to cover the sun and make it at least, tolerable. She had finished preparing the squirrel Daryl had caught for everyone, and was putting all of it in the skillet, hearing the sizzle as it started to cook. The sun was almost completely gone, soon they would be in darkness again. Everyone crowded around the fire to get some dinner and talk. She had Kasey on one side of her, and Daryl on the other. She looked over to poor Carol and couldn't help but thank God that Kasey at least let them eat with the group. Daryl caught her eye, and she smiled, returning her eyes to her plate.

The next day should've been a resting day, but to keep up with the chores while the others were away, there were small amounts of laundry to be done. She had two baskets full of clothes to be folded, now that they were dry. There was a small amount of squirrels left from the day before. Daryl had headed back out to try to find more squirrels, or hopefully, something bigger. Kasey lazed the day away in a chair under the trees. Everyone's attention was pulled from what they were doing by a loud repeating sound echoing close by. Ashley walked closer to the RV, and heard Dale mutter, "Stolen car." The noise got louder and closer until finally a cherry red mustang, alarm blaring, arrived before them all. The family of the people who went on the run badgered Glenn about the wellbeing of their family as he popped the hood, and Shane shut off the alarm. A big box truck puled up, 5 minutes later, much to everyone's relief. Lori and Carl, looked sad and disappointed. Ashley turned to head back to the left over squirrel when she heard someone yell, "Dad!" to find Carl running to a stranger. Such amazing things could still happen in this sad and pathetic existence. It was a breath taking moment for everyone.

She found it odd the next morning, when Daryl still hadn't returned from his hunting trip. And she didn't remember seeing Merle get off the truck either. Kasey was right back in his chair, in the shade when she approached. "Where's Merle? Did something happen to him?" He opened one eye and shut it back, scoffing. "Merle got left. Handcuffed to a roof by the fucking sheriff asshole who came back last night. Man, Daryl's gonna be pissed." She turned and walked away, not eager to incite a fight with him. She helped Lori and Carol with the kids studies, and took watch for Dale while he took a break to cool off. As she climbed back down the ladder, she heard a scream, and everyone in camp ran towards it. Kasey was there first, kicking at the corpse who was feasting on the deer. He stopped and looked around. "Well, you all just gonna stand there all day?" The next moments felt like slow motion for her. She watched the walker stop eating the deer. It's head turned towards Kasey, grabbed his leg, and opened its mouth, and bit down on Kasey's leg, taking a huge chunk of flesh with it, spraying blood everywhere. She watched the geek, as an arrow flew through its head, and all that was left was Kasey's screams.

Daryl came rushing through the green leaves of the woods and looked around. "Everyone else okay?" They all nodded and jumped to Kasey's aid. Daryl looked at Ashley and gave a slight nod before he retrieved his arrow from the geek's head. The men carried Kasey back to the camp, yelling and screaming for boiling water, bandages and rubbing alcohol. Ashley followed in a fog. It was almost too good to be true, and an awful thing to think that way. This was supposed to be her husband. The man she loved and would be with for forever. But he wasn't holding up his end of the bargain either. A husband is supposed to protect his wife. Not hurt her purposely. Lori wrapped an arm around her back and led her to the circle where the fire for dinner usually was, and sat her down. "Are you alright? Do you need some water or something?" She looked at Lori as if she were speaking another language, but nodded yes. As Lori went to get water, Daryl came to her side. "You alright?" She looked at him and took a deep breath. "I don't know." She let the breath out, knowing her statement was true. "He's askin for you. I told him I'd tell you." She licked her lips and stood up, headed for the tent with Daryl in her tracks. She opened the flap and everyone cleared out, leaving Daryl, herself, and her dying husband. "Where you been?" He was weak. The blood pooled under his leg as it continued to seep. She was fairly certain he didn't have much time left, so she smiled and sat down next to him. "I've been trying to decide whether or not this is a good day for me."

He made a fist to punch, but Daryl spoke; "I wouldn't, if I were you, man." Kasey's eyes were wide with disbelief as he looked back to his wife; "I knew you were fucking him." Ashley leaned close to him, "I'm not. You can die knowing truthfully that I have stayed faithful to you. But as of this day, I am free. The vows we made are null and void. And I could cry, sob, about how I lost my husband, my whole world. And on the inside, I would know, that I would be happy. Because I would finally be rid of you. And everyone around here, would know that's a lie. They see you. They see who and what you are. And that's the only way you will live on in their memory." She slid her engagement ring and her wedding band off her finger and placed it in his hand. "I'll see you in hell." She stopped when she got to Daryl, who held the tent flap open for her. "I'll be just a minute. Want to talk to him myself." She nodded and headed out, back to the circle, where Lori still waited for her, with some water. Lori wasn't sure what to say to her. "Ashley, I know we've never really talked. But we've seen what Kasey's done to you before, and I can't even imagine how conflicted you must be." She put her hand on Lori's shoulder. "I'm not. I'm just fine. All of you can quit fussing over me, and him. It was just supposed to turn out this way." She stood up and walked over to Kasey's chair, sitting down under the tree in the shade.

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**And there's chapter 2. I know this is going really slow and there's not a lot of talking, but I'm getting there. Just trying to get to where I want to be. I know it's horrible but it won't be long before it's good.**

**Read and Reply please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I know it's been a while since I've updated this story.** **I've been really conflicted on where to take it, what to do with it...but I think I will have to just feel my way through it. I usually like to have it planned out and a summary of the chapter written down when I go to update, but I just can't come up with anything.**

**So this chapter will be on the fly. Whatever happens, happens.**

**I don't own anything from The Walking Dead. Not the comics, the characters, nor the actors. This is a story of pure fiction and blah blah blah lol**

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She lay in her tent going through everything in her head. Merle was left in Atlanta. Kasey was dead. Everything felt too good to be true. She was out, free and clear. Daryl, and a few of the other men, had gone back to Atlanta to try and retrieve Merle. She was taken from her thoughts when she heard someone unzip the flap for her tent. Carl, Lori's son stood before her. "Hey, Ashley. Mom said it's time for dinner. If you want to eat, you'd better come on." She smiled and sat up. "Thanks, Carl. I'll be right there." She watched the boy head back towards the fire before grabbing her boots and slipping them on her feet. She didn't bother to lace them as she climbed out of the tent and headed towards the small group.

She tried her best to act fine, putting on a pleasant smile as she caught Dale's attention. "Ashley. Hope you're feeling alright. A-andrea and Amy caught some fish. Plenty for everyone." She walked closer, taking an empty plate and helping herself. "Thanks. This is great, you two." She genuinely smiled at the two blondes before taking a seat beside Amy. As she started to eat, she eavesdropped on the random conversation circling around. A familiar quote brought her eyes to Dale. "It's what father said to son when he gave him his watch: I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine, or my father's before me; I give it to you, not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then-"

The final words came out before she could stop them. "And not spend all your life trying to conquer it." Dale smiled and gave a curt nod to her. No more than Amy had stood, Andrea spoke to her. "Where are you going?" The younger sister looked embarrassed and quietly said, "I have to pee. God, you try to be discreet around here." Everyone chuckled as she disappeared into the camper. Forks scraped across plates as everyone got their fill of fish. It was silent until Amy reappeared at the bottom of the camper stairs. "Are we out of toilet paper?" What followed after was a blur, but seemed to inch by as quickly as molasses in the winter. A walker was beside Amy, and the conclusion of a bite was inevitable as her scream pierced the quiet night air. The whole camp turned to chaos. Walkers were everywhere. Some were looking for someone to eat, some had already found someone. Shane, Lori, and Carl grouped together, Carol and Sophia behind them. Shane shot his way backwards to the RV. Morales swung his bat over and over, combating the walking corpses. Ashley had run towards the camper and began climbing the ladder. She was almost halfway up when she felt her boot being tugged.

She couldn't help but scream as she kicked the shoe off and plummeted to the ground. She grabbed a shovel that had fallen to the ground and snatched it up. As she went to stand, her back was flat against the ground as a walker dumped his weight onto her, attempting to bite. The stench caused bile to rise in her throat as she pressed the shovel against its shoulders, attempting to keep it at bay. Hope was dwindling. Her arms grew tired, inch by inch, the walker grew closer to her face. She struggled to push up until her arms finally gave out. She took a breath, ready to feel the biting. This was it. Kasey had gone first, and now it was her turn. As the walker landed on her, she heard a gunshot ring out, particularly close. The biting never came, no physical pain, save for her arms, appeared to her. As suddenly as the walker's weight was upon her, it was gone.

And there was Daryl. He grabbed both her arms and pulled her up to her feet. He spoke not a single word as he pulled her shirt down, checking her shoulders and neck for bites. He then proceeded to check every inch of her for blood. "I'm not bit, Daryl." They locked eyes for a moment before she ran to the edge of the cliff and started throwing up. She couldn't keep it down any longer. When she had finished, she leaned against the RV, sliding down to her bottom, and crossed her arms around her stomach. Her eyes stayed closed as she forced herself to take a deep breath in and out. The entire camp was silent. Only the sobs of Andrea over her sister could be heard. Daryl crouched down next to Ashley and gently took her chin, raising her head to look at him as she opened her eyes. "You alright?" She snapped them shut as the pinpricks began to bring tears. She shook her head no. He let her chin go and wrapped an arm around her back, helping her to stand again. They walked around the camper and to the rest of the group as they watched in horror. She felt sick again, seeing Amy covered in blood. Andrea with Amy's blood coating her hands.

Before everyone could get too far, Shane announced that all the members should move their tents in closer to the RV. Daryl led Ashley back to her tent. She opened the flap and found everything as she had left it. She grabbed a change of clothes and followed Daryl back to his tent. "You want to clean up?" She nodded and watched as he reloaded his crossbow and grabbed his hunting knife. She followed him through a clearing in the trees, skirting the camp, but ending up on the road towards the lake. The gravels crunched under their footsteps as she quietly followed him. "You don't ever question nothing?" She wasn't sure what to say back. "I...I've never been allowed to speak freely. You know that." A few more paces in silence passed before she spoke. "So where are we going?" She was answered by the gentle sound of water on a small beach. Daryl set his crossbow on a small pile of rock and started undressing. A hint of panic started to rise in her. She tossed her clothes beside the crossbow and walked to the edge of the water. Hands shaking, she unbuttoned her shirt. As she grabbed the edges of the material to pull it off, she gave a small yelp.

Daryl walked over to her, curious. "What's wrong?" The moon shone just enough to tell he was in just his jeans. Shirt, boots, and socks gone; she kicked the thoughts from her mind. "I think I hurt my shoulder. When I fell off the RV." A small jump came as she felt his hands on her, gently pressing around her shoulder. She bit her lip and let a small gasp as he hit a tender spot. "Just sprained it. You'll be alright." Only thinking the examination was over, she went to move, but he stopped her. She felt the rough hands on both her shoulders, gently sliding her shirt off. She turned her back to him and gave a small snort of laughter when nothing happened. "If I can't get a shirt off, Dixon, how am I supposed to get a bra off?" A splash was her answer. She turned around and saw Daryl's head bobbing in the water. She sighed and kicked her boots off. Everything the hard way, she stood on the tip of one sock and pulled her foot free, then the other. Unbuttoning her jeans, she stood on the leg of one side and successfully removed them. She walked closer to the edge and gasped when the cold water hit her ankles. "Just jump in, Ash. It's not as bad." She took a deep breath and pinched her nose closed before letting herself fall forward into the water.

She came up with a gasp. "Jesus, it's so cold." She could only sense a smirk on Daryl's face, but ignored him. She began to use her hands and scrub at her body, freeing the walker blood. Leaning back, she raised her good arm and started swishing her hair around, hoping to remove the nasty gunk from there as well. She swam over to the edge, and found a submerged rock to sit on. She cupped some water in her hands and dipped her face into it, hoping to wake up from the whole nightmare. She walked on the rocks back to the shore. One more step and she was almost to her clothes. The rock was slick the moment her foot hit it. Loosing her balance, she topped into the water. As soon as she hit her head, she knew it. She was in 4 inches of water when she finally crawled onto the shore, Daryl sloshing right behind her. "What the fuck was that?" She looked up at him, the moon showing the cut, and the blood flowing towards her eye. Daryl scoffed and scooped up his shirt, pressing it to her head. "Damn you're-" He stopped mid-sentence. She hoped to avoid something cruel.

He took her hand and gave her the responsibility of applying pressure to her wound. He returned with her clothes and helped her dress before they headed back up the hill. It was quiet, as it had been before the attack. The stench of the dead wasn't bad, yet as Daryl pounded with a fist on the RV door. Dale opened and stood aside. "What happened?" She climbed the stairs and walked back to the beds, sitting down. "We went to the lake to clean up, and she slipped. Hit her head on a rock." Dale quickly returned with a first aid kit, then disappeared as quickly as he had come. Daryl sat beside her, alcohol pads, gauze and butterfly bandaids ready. She turned her head to him as he started to dab the alcohol pad. "Daryl?" He kept his eyes on what he was doing, but responded. "Hmm?" She licked her lips and took a deep breath. "What did you say to Kasey? Before he died?" He dropped his arms and sighed. "I told him he was a stupid son of a bitch. Deserved what he got. It was his karma for everything he did to you." He stopped, biting the inside of his lip. "Would you rather stay in your tent alone tonight?" She shook her head no. A ghost of a smile hinted at his lips as he returned to her head. "Well, good. Cause you really didn't have much choice to begin with. Don't be surprised if I wake your ass up every couple hours. Gotta be sure it's not a concussion."

Her tent was a welcomed sight. She crawled inside her sleeping bag and laid her head on the pillow, looking at Daryl as he sat on the floor. "Aren't you going to lay down, too?" He gave a small scoff. "Listen. This ain't...it's nothing. I'm making sure you don't slip into a coma. That's the only reason I'm in your tent. What did you expect? Cuddling, crying, 'it's gonna be okay' sex? You're nice. You shouldn't have been put through what he did, and I care. But just because I care don't mean we're getting together. It don't mean I'm going to pour my feelings out to you. Just go to sleep." She bit her lip and rolled over, facing the tent wall. The humiliation and disappointment overwhelming her. She felt a few tears roll down her face and land on the pillow as she drifted off to sleep.

Walkers everywhere. People running, screaming through the camp. She walked backwards, all the way to the RV. Her back hit the vehicle. She turned to look and saw a walker beside her. She felt the nails bite into her wrist as it grabbed her and pulled. Sandy blond hair, a plaid shirt, jeans. It was obviously her dead beloved, come back to claim his revenge. She screamed as she watched his teeth break the flesh on her arm. Her blood started dribbling in streams onto the ground. Her screams were cut off, muted. Her eyes popped open and she saw Daryl above her, his hand over her mouth. She shoved as hard as she could, but he didn't move an inch. "Shut up. You gonna give everyone in this damn camp a heart attack. Quit screaming, I'll take my hand off. Okay?" She nodded, and he obliged, backing off. Her heart pounded inside her chest. The first rays of sun were starting to light up the tent. He unzipped the flap and walked out, leaving her terrified.

She walked out into the camp, seeing the women sitting around the fire and the men already at work. Daryl had a pickaxe and was slamming it into every body's brain. She sat down next to Lori and leaned back. That's how the day went. She watched Andrea mourning over Amy. Rick decided to go talk to her, until she pulled a gun on him. He raised his hands and backed off slowly towards the fire. Daryl walked over to the small group. "That dead girl's a time bomb." He was shot down with every offer to take care of it himself. He resigned to moving bodies with Morales. They picked up one man from the camp and began to take him towards the fire, when Glenn interjected. "We don't burn them! We bury them, understand?" They drug the body past Andrea and towards the line for the survivors who died. "You reap what you sow!" Morales dropped the body and stepped back. "Man, shut up."

Daryl walked back towards the rear of the RV. "Y'all had this comin." Ashley diverted her attention to the fire. Watched it as the flamed dipped up and down. It was surreal to think about this world even existing. Dead people coming back to life, living people struggling to make it one more hour. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a commotion. "Jim's been bit!" Jaqui jumped to her feet and backed away from Jim. He held his hands up, "I'm fine. It's nothing." Daryl held his pickaxe close. "Show us." The group was cautious around him, and he never saw T-Dog come from behind and wrap his arms around. Daryl darted forward and lifted Jim's shirt, revealing a fresh, deep, walker bite. Rick took Jim to a safer location where no one would hurt him in camp. Daryl resumed pickaxing every dead person in the head. Carol watched intently. Ashley stood and walked over to the older woman, taking her arm. "Come on, Carol. I'll go with you." They walked up to Daryl as he sung on a body. "Daryl." He stopped as he started to swing for his next body, resting the head of the pickaxe on the ground. Carol walked closer and looked down at her dead husband. "Let me. He was my husband." She took the tool from Daryl and raised it to her shoulder. Daryl backed away to stand next to Ashley. They both watched in quiet as Carol sobbed and brought the pointed end through Ed's head. She continued sobbing as she raised it again, and repeated.

She rolled up her tent and stuffed it into the bag. Three bags was all her items. Personal things, clothes, and a tent. She hauled them to the front of the camp and set them on the ground, looking at the vehicles. Daryl grabbed them and hauled the bags into the back of his truck, underneath the motorcycle. "We're going to the CDC. Morales and his family's leaving. You ready?" She turned around and looked back at the camp. It was a haunting thought. All the blood spilt in the dirt, the bodies buried on the hillside. She turned back around and jumped into the cab of the truck, shutting the door. Daryl got in, started the engine, and followed the convoy off the hill and onto the road. Ashley watched as the Morales' car veered separate from the group, and left.

A drive lasting 30 minutes, tops, brought the convoy to a stand still. Everyone got out of their vehicles and mobbed forward to the RV. Smoke billowed from under the hood. Dale and Rick were already deep in discussion of the problem. "It's that damn radiator hose. It's more duct tape than hose. I needed the one from the cube van." Shane spoke up about seeing a something up ahead, possibly a gas station, and T-Dog agreed to go with. Deciding there wasn't anything to do but wait, Ashley headed back to Daryl's truck. The two were gone only fifteen minutes before returning with a hose that fit the RV well. The heat was sweltering as it was, but at 4:30, it was almost unbearable. She laid her head on her arm, barely sticking out of the window, hoping for a slight breeze to come. Another commotion came from Jaqui about Jim up ahead. She closed her eyes wishing for a snow cone to beat the heat. Daryl walked back and leaned infront of the mirror. "Jim wants us to leave him here. Said it hurts too bad to keep on goin." She raised her head and looked at him. "And I take it no one is okay with that decision?" He bit on his thumb and shook his head no. She scoffed and lightly hit the truck with her hand. "Well, if Jim is in a clear state of mind, and that's what he wants, I don't see why any of us should rob him of that choice." He shrugged and turned away, headed back towards the group.

She jumped out of the truck and followed. The discussion was coming to a close and Shane and Rick were headed into the RV to get Jim. Everyone stood back and watched as the two men carried the sickly third up a hill and rested him under a large tree. Everyone followed up the hill and stood in a short line. Shane and Rick spoke to him, then Jaqui. Everyone had started back towards the cars except Ashley. She knelt down to Jim and took his hand in hers. "Jim, I know we never got to know each other very well. But no one deserves this. I really do hope you find peace." He gave a small nod and a smile as she stood and walked back towards the truck. She climbed in and shut the door as the convoy moved out.


End file.
